


♡ Cherry Kisses ♡

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction
Genre: Cherry Kisses, Feels, Larry Stylinson Is Real, M/M, OTP Feels, larry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2015-12-13
Packaged: 2018-05-06 13:42:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5419250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis was dirty, to say the least. Harry was pretty. And Louis liked that, a lot. </p><p>Or straight boy Louis Tomlinson falls for pretty boy Harry Styles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	♡ Cherry Kisses ♡

♡

Louis was _bored_ , to say the least. The expensive gray pillow he held was slowly being picked apart by his fingers. He knew his dad would kill him for "ruining such great artwork" selected by his step-mom, but he wasn't worried. (It really wasn't artwork. Louis always thought it was picked up at the local shop that sold things for nothing more than ninety-nine cents. He told his step-mom these observations each time they sat on the couch, and Louis' dad finally put a stop to it by throwing Louis' phone across the room. Of course, his dad went out a bought him a new one the next day, but... that's beside the point. The point is - the pillow was just entertaining Louis for the time being.)

As soon as the large grandfather clock in the corner struck eight in the evening, Louis leaped for his phone. He knew Niall and Liam would be up for a game of soccer at the park. He barely had to scroll through his contact list to find Niall's name.

" _Let m' guess. Game at th' park_?" Niall spoke through the phone.

Louis could hear Niall's cleats scraping the wood floor. Louis chuckled.

"Oh, 'course, mate. Invite Liam. Zayn can come along, too, if he's not too busy snorting."

Niall erupted into laughter, which caused Louis to let out a few huffs as well. Niall's laugh was contagious like that.

" _I'll ask him. See you in ten_." Niall ended the phone call, and Louis threw his phone onto the coffee table.

He took the stairs two at a time to reach his mess of a room. It was only a mess because the maids decided to take the week off. (Louis knew the maids would give him hell for leaving a cold drink on the glass table and leaving a ringlet. Last time that happened, the eldest maid chased him around the house with a towel.) Louis picked up a pair of socks that had faint coloring on the soles, but he pulled them on without another thought. After throwing a pair of underwear and an old Manchester United jersey across the room, he found his classic black and white cleats that desperately needed to be cleaned.

Louis jogged down the stairs and hopped off of the third to last step. He landed smoothly on his feet and hustled to grab his phone. He didn't bother to pick up a jacket (even though it was late November) because Louis _just didn't care_.

All Louis did was sleep, play soccer, and _sit_ in the classroom. (Louis always made sure people knew he didn't _learn_ in the classroom. Louis blew through school. He usually cheated off of the smart kid next to him that never talked.)

Out of all of the families in that tiny town, Louis' family was considered to be very prestigious. His dad, Steven, was a cardiologist at the hospital in the nearby city. He was almost never at home - always working or out with Louis' step-mom. Louis' step-mom, Joanne, worked at the local church. Louis laughed in Joanne's face when he learned what she did for a living. He instantly declared he wouldn't ever step foot in a church. Steven stopped his son from continuing and explained that Joanne wasn't there to encourage a Godly lifestyle. Louis was relieved; he chose not to believe in anything. It wasn't that nothing interested him, it was because he was too unmotivated to find something to believe in.

Steven often stayed in a hotel near the hospital, which Louis was fine with. Joanne came into his life and would stay at home with Louis, but then realized Steven stayed at the hotel more than it seemed. Then, she stopped showing up after work and Louis declared himself head of the house. It was almost like his parents just left everything to him, and they were wiped off of the face of the earth. Louis didn't mind, because it meant he could do whatever he wanted.

Louis drove to the park down the empty street and pulled into the first parking spot he saw. He hopped out and shivered, but convinced himself he would warm up once he started to play around. The field was clear, and Louis was absolutely awestruck. He loved when the field was empty so he could play freely.

A car door slammed across the parking lot, and Louis turned to see Niall yelling and Liam and Zayn about getting dirt on the carpet. Louis stifled a laugh and proceeded to walk onto the open field, beaming at all of the open land. He pictured himself kicking the ball _as far as he wanted_ , and...

"Think fast!" An Irish accent shrieked. Louis turned around, his jaw going slack. He saw the soccer ball soaring across the sky, and smiled at Niall's eagerness.

Louis hopped a little before running around and positioning himself to where he could return the gesture. The soccer ball slammed against his knee, causing him to nearly fall back. The ball landed lamely on the ground next to him as he winced and held his knee. He cursed loudly, and Niall just laughed. Niall ran to meet Louis, slapping his hand and pulling him in for a quick hug.

Louis tossed the ball in the air and kicked it, hard, to where it landed almost on Liam's head. Liam hopped back to send the ball flying back to Louis. Niall and Louis exchanged the ball for a few more minutes before Liam decided to steal it from the two. Niall and Louis let out a string of curse words, claiming Liam couldn't play soccer when Liam was on the soccer team at school. (Louis believed Liam was only on the soccer team because Julia, Liam's girlfriend, was also on the soccer team. He had to admit: Liam definitely learned some skills on the soccer field.)

"Pass it here, lad!" Louis shouted, jogging backwards. He was filled with so much energy and joy, he felt like a large kid on the field.

Liam kicked the ball hard, sending it flying. It was going to land in the lake in the small lake behind him, he was sure. He launched himself off of the ground and to the right, trying to block the ball with his body. Unfortunately, the ball passed right through his arms. Louis clamped his arms together wildly in an attempt to stop the ball at last minute. He hit the ground with a loud _thud_ , and the ball continued to roll.

Niall groaned at Louis' failure, and Liam just slapped Niall's back, cheering with victory. Louis recovered from his fall and jumped up, immediately racing to catch the ball. Louis saw the ball moving to the water at a high speed, and jutted his foot out to stop the motion just as a hand covered the ball.

The two jerked their heads up just enough to make eye contact. Juniper-colored eyes locked with sapphire, and Louis nearly fainted. The person's features were identical to a boy's - sharp jawline, hollowed cheeks, angled nose - but the _nail polish_ , and _skirt_ , and _ribbon_.

Louis swallowed weakly. In the small town, he wasn't used to seeing someone so different. Louis knew everybody, and everybody knew him, but he did not know this person.

He bent down to pick up the ball, trying not to look like an idiot (even though he knew he would seem like one without trying). Him and the stranger were still staring at each other. Louis foot had been removed from the touch of the ball, but the stranger still had his (or her, because Louis couldn't exactly tell. And though he wasn't one to care much, he didn't want to make other people dislike him or feel uncomfortable) hand splayed on top. The stranger's hand was rather large, which only confused Louis more.

Louis' eyes flickered from the ball, to the nail polish, to the stranger's eyes, to the ribbon. Finally, he worked up the nerve to open his mouth and say something.

"Th-thanks for grabbing it," his voice was utterly weak, and Louis cursed at himself. For some reason, he found himself wanting to impress the stranger. Maybe it was because it was a stranger, and Louis hadn't witnessed a stranger in so long.

Louis placed his hands on the sides of the ball, hesitantly at first, then he gripped it tightly. He pulled up, and the stranger's hand wasn't removed. No, it _slid_ off as Louis elevated the ball. He stood at full height (though it wasn't very intimidating) and tossed the ball between his palms.

"S'my pleasure." The stranger's voice wasn't _high_ , but it definitely didn't sound as deep as a boy's would. It only made Louis cock his head a bit, and the stranger placed their hands in their lap.

Louis ran over the list of characteristics between a boy and a girl, and decided the stranger was just an _unusually-featured_ girl.

Louis sent _her_ a prim nod before turning and walking back to the game. He turned the ball over in his hands, scratching at the dirt stains on it absentmindedly. For an unknown reason, Louis looked over his shoulder to see where the stranger was. (Louis did that just to make sure the stranger wasn't behind him with a knife, about to stab him to death. Could you blame him? He had never met that girl and she was oddly featured.)

The stranger was still kneeling in the same spot Louis had left her, except her hands had moved. Her hands were brought up to her (very flat) chest and her hair was brushed away from her face, and Louis was able to get an exceptionally good look at her eyes. They were wide, and beautiful, and shiny, and Louis believed they were dense forests instead of collections of melanin.

" _Louis, I'm getting attacked by bugs! Hurry up and finish the game so we can leave!_ " Zayn shouted, and Louis snapped his neck forward. His mouth had fallen open from the scenarios switching so drastically. He kicked back into his athletic mode and pushed the girl with green eyes out of his mind. He played his favorite game until ten in the evening.

♡♡

Louis stepped into the classroom just after the bell rang, still zipping his jeans.

"Mr. Tomlinson, you're late. And please..." the woman gestured to Louis' actions, "finish that in the bathroom."

"Wouldn't be doing it if I wouldn't get a mark for going to the bathroom, _Lisa_." Louis hissed as he adjusted his jeans around his waist. The use of his teacher's first name caused her to purse her lips. She pulled out a detention slip as well as a tardy slip, and began to fill them in. Louis groaned, leaning against the desk and watching as she filled out the forms. (It wasn't that interesting to watch, because he had watched it happen at least twenty times previously.)

Niall noticed Louis standing at the desk, and he cocked an eyebrow before he realized what was going on. Niall laughed loudly, causing other people to notice the scene. Louis rolled his eyes at the commotion. Almost everyone was making snide remarks about Louis' _eighth_ tardy in just a few weeks. (Nobody knew it was Louis' fifteenth detention since the beginning of the semester.)

The teacher (or Lisa, as Louis' said) handed him the two slips, mumbling some words about visiting the office. Lisa didn't _have_ to say that in front of the class, because he knew, and everyone else knew _exactly_ what Louis was to do. He was always told to walk down the hallway, go into the office, beg on his knees for mercy, wail about the headmaster calling his mom, and accept his punishment with a long face. But, Louis didn't care, so that never happened.

Louis shuffled into the office with broad shoulders. The secretary, Miss Kathy, typed swiftly on the keyboard. Louis slapped the two sheets of paper onto the ledge of the desk, and slid them into her sight. Miss Kathy looked at the two sheets, and then at Louis with her large brown eyes. She sighed, then removed her glasses. She lifted her arms up and laced her fingers together, allowing her chin to rest where they met.

"Louis, really?" She spoke in an unbelievably soft voice. Louis knew she was disappointed, but he didn’t let the guilt get to him. (He never let the guilt get to him.)

Miss Kathy swiped the papers from the ledge and exhaled, hollowing out her cheeks and widening her eyes to show her frustration with the situation. Louis knew he was considered a troublemaker, but he really wasn't _that_ bad, and Miss Kathy knew it, too. She just assumed he was a "child without steady parent figures," so she never voiced his complications to any faculty members. Louis was so thankful for that, because he had no idea what he'd do if everyone was hounding him for being a _punk_.

Miss Kathy began to write on the detention slip. She made one section for alternate punishments, one section for issues with his number of tardies, and one section for tips on how to stay away from receiving a detention. Louis gave his parents the first couple of slips, and then stopped, because he realized they weren't worried about how many detentions he received - as long as he was passing and was able to graduate.

"This is a very close knit community. It should be no issue to socialize and blend into a group of friends." The headmaster, Mr. Cooper, emerged from his office with none other than the girl from the park.

(Needless to say, Louis' jaw scraped the tile floor.)

The girl nodded. She was wearing a pair of overalls that cut off at her knees and a flower-printed blouse underneath. She looked just as darling as she did the previous night.

Louis couldn't catch her eyes (which he found himself upset about, because they were the best eyes he had ever seen) before Mr. Cooper took her schedule from her hands and peered at it.

"You've got history, first. I'll walk you there."

Louis couldn’t bring himself to say anything. _He had history first. He could have walked the girl there_. Instead of Louis being brave, he only watched Mr. Cooper usher her out of the office. Louis looked desperately at Miss Kathy. He attempted to use his mind skills and speed up her noting, but it just wasn't happening. (Almost nothing happened in Louis’ favor, if he was honest.)

"Miss Kathy, I really have to go to the bathroom," he spat. It was the first thing he could think of. Miss Kathy only looked at him strangely, because she knew he was lying, as he had just gotten a tardy for using the bathroom. He didn't know _why_ he was fibbing... well, yes, he did. Louis _adored_ how different the girl was. He was infatuated the way her jawline was so chiseled and her nose was so pointed and her shoulders were so broad. He needed to know her. _He needed to know her_.

"Louis, get to the bathroom and then go to class. Don't be late for another class this week, and..." Louis was already walking speedily down the hallway with the papers in hand. He had to get there before she was introduced to the class and everyone knew her name _except for him_.

He threw the door open, slamming it against the trash can that was inconveniently placed right behind the door.

"Louis!" Lisa scowled, and Louis could have broken into tears. There she was, just sitting. Not only was she already comfortable in class, but she was in _his_ desk. Niall was looking at Louis with wide eyes, pointing to her and then holding a finger-gun to his head. Louis merely shook his head at his friend’s stupid action.

Louis shut the door and trudged down the aisle pitifully. Lisa scolded him for being disruptive, as usual. Instead of Louis having to explain to the girl that she was in his seat, he hooked his backpack's strap around his ankle and dragged it along the floor. He took the seat behind Niall with a small groan. (The last thing Louis wanted to do was introduce himself.)

"Check out the hottie," Niall murmured as Lisa began to lecture. Louis tucked his legs underneath his butt and leaned forward in an attempt to hear Niall more clearly. Louis tried not to simmer at Niall's comment.

"Y'catch her name?" Louis tried to ask without making his intent known. Niall shook his head. (Louis wanted to deck him in the nose.)

"Started with an 'H,’ I think. I was busy talking."

Louis sat back in the desk, just staring at the girl. Niall got to work taking some detailed notes, but Louis intensely observing her. He was glad she sat in his seat; he was then able to watch her from a distance without the chance of being caught.

He wracked his brain trying to think of what the girl's name could be. Louis narrowed his eyes, as if he could somehow know it just by staring at her. She was too intriguing to be a Hope, but not intriguing enough to be a Helga. Her posture made him think of something strong, like a holly tree, so he settled on Holly. A few moments later, he realized she was too pretty to be a stiff holly tree, and he switched her name to Harley, _because her forest green eyes locking with his just screamed 'adventure of a lifetime_.'

♡♡♡

Louis fell against the cool grass, panting loudly. He dropped the soccer ball next to him, which rolled into Niall's bottle of Coca-Cola. The bottle tipped over and the brown liquid raced out onto the grass.

"Oh, come on, Lou!" Niall grumbled, picking up the bottle before the last few sips could escape.

Louis shrugged, placing his hands behind his head and sighing deeply. He had just finished kicking the ball around with Liam, and was absolutely exhausted. Niall, Liam, Zayn, and Zayn’s girlfriend Julia were sat on a blue and white picnic blanket. Nobody brought any food for a picnic; they just wanted to enjoy the outdoors without getting attacked by bugs. Louis was feeling bored, so he decided to play around with the soccer ball while his friends watched.

"Now, can we all hang out?" Zayn spat, shooting Louis devil eyes. Louis rolled onto his left side, propping his head up with his elbow. He lifted his eyebrows.

"Alright. What did you all have in mind?" Louis picked at the grass in front of him as he waited for the group to speak. Nobody moved a muscle, so Louis rolled his eyes and returned to his comfortable position.

"Truth or dare?" Julia suggested quietly.

A few groans emitted from the group, but Louis actually seemed interested. He perked up, switching to his lax side position again and painting a smirk across his face.

"Always up for a game," he grinned cheekily. Liam shook his head, and Niall flipped him off.

"Oh, come on, you drags!" Louis lifted up a hand, furrowing his eyebrows.

Niall knew he wouldn’t get his way against Louis, "oh, fine! Fine! We can play."

(Louis loved winning. If Louis didn't get what he wanted, he would be a very grumpy Louis.)

Julia was the first to go. She dared Niall to eat a piece of grass, which Niall did. He grumbled, claiming the piece tasted too 'earthy' to be considered decent. Next to go was Liam, who asked Zayn if he had ever messed with cocaine. Louis had bursted into a fit of laughs, as did Niall, and Zayn just started to blush furiously. He promised Julia he would never do such a thing, and Julia nodded (though Louis was sure she didn't believe any of his words).

"Alright, Louis. Truth or dare?" Zayn questioned, leaning forward. Louis depicted the evil glint in his eye, and he also leaned closer, causing Zayn to raise his eyebrows briefly.

"Dare," he settled, narrowing his eyes at Zayn. He wasn't afraid of anything.

"I dare you to _join her picnic_." Zayn pointed across the park. The whole group turned in the direction of Zayn's finger, and there were a couple of gasps from the group. It was _Harley_.

Louis knew if he went over there, he would make himself look like an utter fool in front of the prettiest girl he’d ever witnessed.

Louis shook his head firmly. "No way am I doing that, Z."

"You have to, Lou. It was a dare." Zayn cackled, and Liam scoffed.

Louis shook his head again. Zayn groaned, and Liam elbowed his side. "Look, Lou, Liam just wants to know what the girl is like. He's practically obsessed with her." Zayn explained. "How about, fifty dollars?"

The fifty dollars spiked Louis’ interest. He stood up and dusted himself off, bidding a quick, "I'll be back."

Niall's laughing was very loud as Louis slid his feet across the ground. He wasn’t eager to get to Harley. He was _beyond_ nervous. She was different, and he didn't know how to feel about that. It wasn't surprising when Zayn said Liam was obsessed with the girl. He couldn't exactly blame him; she was different and everything in  town was the same.

Louis rolled his neck, then looked over his shoulder to give his friends a 'thumbs-up.' They were all watching him intently, which increased his anxiety. (He was never one to be intensely nervous like that.)

Instead of thinking about what he could do wrong, he thought about what great qualities he held and that made him hold his head a bit higher.

Louis slowed his pace once he saw what was waiting his arrival. Harley sat with her feet tucked under her butt. She wore a black dress, and a red sweater was draped over her shoulders. Her brown boots were laying in the grass, and Louis noticed an ant crawling on the left boot. And then, Louis saw the _nail polish and ribbon_. Her nail polish matched the sweater perfectly, and the ribbon kept the top layer of hair from her face. _She was so prepossessing_.

(Louis couldn't tell what texture her hair was. Some pieces were total _ringlets_ , while some were nearly straight. He decided on curly, because there weren’t many curly-haired people in town.)

(You could say Louis liked to make her as different as possible.)

He hadn't noticed he was creepily staring at her until he got the overwhelming urge to sneeze, and he whirled around in an attempt to stop it. He knew she would turn around and see a stinky, dirty man peering over her shoulder. Preventing the sneeze wasn’t happening, and Louis sneezed, _loud_ , letting out an embarrassing squeak, as well. He turned back around, bracing himself for the worst, which is exactly what he got. Harley was staring right at him.

Harley was looking at him with her mouth slightly open, probably out of shock. He knew his cover was absolutely blown. Louis wanted to do nothing more than run far, far away. He wished he could fling himself into the river and never return, because _he was that embarrassed_.

Harley and Louis were staring at each other.The eye contact made Louis feel extremely insecure. His clothes were faintly stained with dirt. His hair was matted against his sweaty forehead, and his skin was dirty. Harley looked so nice and put-together, while Louis looked like a sewer rat.

" _Goodbye_ ," she murmured.

Louis was shocked. He couldn’t speak, much less open his mouth, even more less he couldn’t think. The girl just told Louis “goodbye” only because he _sneezed_.

"What?" He asked curiously. She bit the inside of her bottom lip, and Louis could tell she was feeling a bit off about the situation.

"Sneezing is a symptom of the bubonic plague.”

Louis was dumb-founded. Nobody he was used to interacting with would _ever_ say anything like that. He found himself admiring her for her abnormality and the way she accepted it.

"Y-yeah," he muttered, because he didn’t know what else to say. He took a few steps closer and saw the food she had sitting on the blanket. There were sandwiches cut into little heart shapes that were organized on plastic bags. She had a bottle of apple juice, a bottle of orange juice, and little bags of vegetables, all laid out on a red and white blanket with small cherries printed across it.

(Louis knew he was gone from that moment on.)

"I like your blanket." Louis toed the corner of the fabric.

"I made it m'self,” she beamed, and a wide smile spread across her face.

Louis gawked. He utterly _gawked_ at the girl, because she was so proud of herself and Louis found that _adorable_.

"Y-yeah, looks nice, Harley," he mumbled light-heartedly. He didn't realize what he said until she snapped her neck in his direction. He felt heat flush over his face, and his heart rate picked up. He didn’t _mean_ to, but then again, he did, because her name _had_ to be Harley.

"Um,” she started, a bit of sass laced in her voice, “my name is _Harry_.”

“Harry is a _boy’s_ name.” Louis declared. He knew that for a fact. There was no way the pretty girl could be named Harry. Harry is a boy’s name, and Harley wore skirts.

"I know, and I'm a _boy_. I'm a _pretty_ boy." Harry stated firmly, and Louis tried to process the information.

Harry was a _boy_ who wore _girl_ clothes and _did girl things_ but he was, well… a ‘he.’ Louis didn’t find anything wrong with it. (In fact, Louis found himself more infatuated with him.) _Harry was such a pretty boy, Louis thought he was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen._

"So, you're a boy, but you like to be pretty?" Louis clarified, stepping back and exhaling a deep breath that he didn't know he was holding.

Harry nodded.

“That’s cool.”

Harry picked up one of his sandwiches and brought it to his lips, but then pulled it back. He looked at it, turned it over, and placed it in his palm. Louis just watched Harry go about his life. Louis used that time to really observe Harry for _Harry_.

Louis realized Harry didn’t look funny - no, he looked like a boy. But, he looked like a softer version of a boy. His legs were completely smooth (and rather thin). Harry held good posture, which Louis found extremely attractive.

Louis _then_ acknowledged the fact that Harry was a boy, and Louis was attracted to him. Louis never thought he had a chance with being gay, but Harry made it pretty hard to be straight. (It wasn’t that big of a deal for Louis. He decided he would just tell people he was gay instead of straight. He didn’t care what anyone thought.)

"Would you like a sandwich?" Harry offered in a light voice, causing Louis to focus back into reality. He held his hand up to Louis, displaying a perfectly shaped heart sandwich.

"S-sure." Louis picked up the sandwich from Harry's palm (which was remarkably soft, at least to Louis).

Harry waited for Louis to eat it, but Louis just held it in his left hand as he looked down at Harry.

"Are you going to sit?" Harry questioned, his voice coming out a little unsteady.  

Louis really, _really_ wanted to sit. He knew he couldn’t though, because it was a _dare_ so Liam could learn about “Harley.” Louis knew Liam would be horrified at his attraction to another male, so he understood the fact that _he couldn’t tell his friends about Harry_. They could know about Harley, but not Harry, because Louis cared for Harry. He knew his friends would bully him until the end, and Louis couldn’t let that happen to his pretty Harry.

"I can't. I h-have to go." Louis sputtered. "Thank you for the sandwich," he muttered apologetically.

Louis _swore_ Harry was pouting. His heart fell as he took small steps away from him. He lifted his hand to wave good-bye, but then decided against it because he knew Harry’s feelings were already hurt.

Louis had never seen Harry in his life. He knew Harry recently moved to town, and he also knew Harry had no friends. (It’s not mean. It’s a fact.) Louis didn’t like leaving Harry after they had just met.

He trudged back to the blanket, promising himself he would cover up for Harry. Louis knew his friends, and he knew they wouldn’t take kindly to Harley actually being Harry. Louis didn’t want anything to happen to the pretty boy.

(Needless to say, Louis was a bit attracted to the boy.)

"Well, well, well! Mr. Tommo, here, got himself's a sammich!" Niall chuckled as Louis walked up.

There was a slight scowl on Liam's face, and Zayn was just smirking as he wrapped a possessive arm around Julia.

"Well, Louis…” Zayn began, “you earned yourself fifty dollars.”

Louis sat down on the blanket, loosely crossing his legs and resting his elbows on his knees. The sandwich was still in his hand and it was beginning to get a bit soggy. As Zayn fished out the money, Louis took a small bite of the sandwich. He recognized the banana and peanut butter mixture, and smiled meekly.

"Here, you dirty S-O-B." Zayn chuckled, tossing him five tens. "Now, tell Liam about his little lover."

Louis' swallowed hard. He didn't know what to say, because he didn't learn anything except that Harry was Harry. Louis noticed everyone eyeing him carefully, so he shrugged and took the rest of the sandwich into his mouth.

"What do you mean...?" Liam imitated Louis' shrug, over-exaggerating it to display his annoyance. "You spent a good ten minutes over there."

Louis swallowed the sandwich and looked at the people around him. _He was going to have to lie like no tomorrow._

"Her name is Harley..." Louis began. He listed a string of make-believe facts, such as her favorite color (pink), her relationship status (single), her age (seventeen), and her favorite thing to do (shop). Liam was pleased with the new information. Niall slapped his friend on the back, and Zayn laughed while Julia rolled her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Are you going to ask her on a date, Li?" Niall smiled cheekily at his friend.

"You should. She's a pretty little thing. A little fireball." Zayn commented. He turned to see Julia eyeing him carefully, and he kissed her forehead briefly.

Liam bit his bottom lip, thinking hard. Louis watched them all interact with a slightly haughty face (because Louis knew something the others didn’t and he loved that). He rested his chin on his left fist, leaning a little closer to Liam.

"Yeah..." Liam spoke, unsure.

"She's single, and you're a catch, Li!" Niall encouraged his best friend. Liam nodded to himself, then looked at Niall.

"Yeah!" Liam cleared his throat and spoke more confidently. He held his head high up, declaring, "I will take her on the best date ever!"

Zayn gave him a thumbs-up and Niall cheered. Julia promised she would say yes, and Louis just sat with a smug look.

Louis was going to take Harry on a date with the fifty dollars.

♡♡♡♡

It was almost seven in the evening. Louis was yanking on his tie, which wasn’t actually his. It was Steven’s, but Steven was never there, so Louis took it upon himself to steal it.

He was preparing himself to ask Harry on a date. He guessed Harry would be at the park, and found it to be the perfect time to ask him. (It was more like he hoped he was there.)

He pulled it off of his neck and over his head, grunting in frustration. He undid the knot he had formed and sighed, placing it around his neck once more.

_Cross, over, under, down and tighten…_

Louis knew he was missing something, so he yanked the tie off and threw it on the ground. He stomped to his closet, fishing through his clothes. He was wearing a pair of underwear and a white shirt that was buttoned incorrectly. The buttons weren’t matching up with the holes, and Louis ended up having a lopsided shirt on.

He owned no nice clothes. Louis only played sports or went to school, so he never _needed_ any.

Louis left his bedroom and went to search for something in Steven’s closet. Steven was _always_ going to “meetings,” so Louis knew there _had_ to be something he could fit in.

As Louis searched through Steven’s dress shirts and pants, he thought about how strange the situation was. Only a week ago, Louis was careless, lazy, and _straight_.

He grabbed a black dress shirt and held it up to his body. He narrowed his eyes, trying to decide if it would look nice on him. Louis removed his poorly-buttoned shirt and pulled on the black one. He took his time buttoning it, because… he needed to look nice.

Once it was set on his body, he smoothed it against his tummy and moved his arms around to make sure it fit well _everywhere_. (Louis didn’t know what he would end up doing.)

Louis turned to face the mirror and checked himself out. He turned his body to the side and gave himself finger-guns, pouting his lips some.

“Oh yeah,” he murmured as he ran a hand through his sleek hair.

“Lou is the man…” he ran his tongue over his teeth, “and he can get all of the-”

“Louis?” Steven stepped into the large closet. His eyes ran over his son’s clothes and shook his head.

Louis looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He avoided Steven’s eyes and nervously shifted feet. Louis felt (and looked) ridiculous to be caught.

“I, uh…” he wracked his brain for an excuse.

“Do you have a date that I wasn’t aware of?” Steven asked, a proud smile on his face.

Louis inhaled shakily. It was a date - just not with who Steven would like it to be with. Steven was _never_ around. It wouldn’t matter if Louis told _one_ little lie. (Louis didn’t really count it as a lie. Harry looked like a girl, so it wouldn’t matter.)

“Yeah…” Louis trailed off.

Steven just smiled wider and walked toward his son with open arms. He enveloped him into a strong hug, patting his back firmly.

“Well, I’d never thought I’d see the day! I hope to meet the lovely _lady_ one day that has stole my son’s heart.”

Louis just nodded and watched as Steven collected a few pairs of scrubs.

“Uh, Joanne and I will be staying out for a few nights.” Steven announced, and Louis rolled his eyes. _Of course you are_ , Louis thought.

He told Steven goodbye and left the closet with his new black shirt on. Louis’ room was _still_ a complete mess, but he managed to find a pair of black dress pants and nice dress shoes. Louis tugged on a black leather belt that was a little too small for him. (He hadn’t worn it since seventh year, alright?) He ran a hand over his gelled hair, again, because he thought it looked a little messy.

(Louis was only over-thinking his appearance a little bit.)

With sweaty palms, a few cherry cordial Hershey kisses, and a red rose from his dining room table, he dragged his feet out of the house. He carefully set the Hershey kisses in the passenger seat, along with the rose.

(Louis didn’t know what to get Harry. He didn’t think about gifts until he was halfway out the door, and then cursed to himself. He really didn’t put any effort into the gifts: the Hershey kisses were in a bowl on the kitchen counter [they were leftover from Thanksgiving] and the rose was given to Joanne by her mother.)

Louis was growing more and more nervous as he neared the park. He didn’t know how Harry was going to take the question, much less if Harry would even be there.

Louis parked his car and took a deep breath. In order to procrastinate, he fixed his hair again, and adjusted the shirt on his body. The sweat on his palms caused him to stick to _everything_ , so he was getting a bit irritated. He stepped out of the car and hurried to the other side to retrieve his “gifts.”

(Louis knew they weren’t the best things in the world. But he tried, okay?)

(Sort of.)

Louis shoved his expensive smartphone into his back pocket and cleared his throat. He shook his head, licked his lips, and took one step into the grass and heard the _mud squish under his shoes_. He cursed loudly, jumping back a good four feet, and dropped his hands to his sides out of disappointment. His black dress shoes were now brown, and dirty.

“If I had wanted to be dirty, I would have just been _myself_ , y’know?” He shouted at his footprint in the mud. He huffed and acknowledged the fact that he would have to walk across the parking lot and to the walking trail, because he wanted to look _nice_ for Harry.

Louis took small steps to the walking trail, because he didn’t want to be sweaty _and_ dirty. (He was really mad about it.)

When he neared Harry’s picnic spot, his breathing turned shaky. Louis was nervous. He hadn’t ever been on an actual date - only small flings or hook-ups. Asking Harry to go on a date was a huge revolution, and he really thought he deserved a date because of all the stress he was putting himself under.

Louis knew his hair had become a bit messy, his hands were sweaty, and his voice would be a bit strained, but that didn’t stop him from walking to Harry’s blanket.

Harry was still wearing the red sweater, from what Louis could see, and his hair was still pulled back with the ribbon. It appeared that Harry had been out all afternoon, sitting on that blanket. Louis had no idea what he could have been doing, but it really didn’t matter, because Louis knew that Harry would soon be doing him.

(At least he hoped.)

Louis watched the ground as he stepped quietly through the grass and to Harry’s blanket. He was trying really hard not to work himself up, because if he blew it, then it was over. He knew Harry would think he’s an idiot, and he would feel like an idiot, because he was an idiot for even thinking he had a shot. And even worse --

“You again?” Harry’s voice took the air out of Louis’ lungs. He lifted his head up to see Harry facing him, as if he was watching Louis walk over. Louis knew he looked like a lost puppy, but _he_ _really knew he had to go on a date with Harry no matter what it took_.

“Y-yeah. I’m Louis. Have I told you that already?” Louis twisted the rose between his forefinger and thumb, licking over his lips urgently. He was stopped about two feet away from Harry, and Harry was looking up at him with those big green eyes, almost asking him to take a seat.

Harry just laughed at Louis. Harry laughed  _in his face_ , and it was accompanied by a small squeal. As horrible as that should have made Louis feel, it actually made him feel a whole lot lighter. He tried to hold back his smile, but failed miserably when his slightly yellowed teeth appeared.

“Hi, _Louis_ ,” he teased.

Louis stared at Harry for a moment, before shifting his weight and recollecting his thoughts.

“So, um, I noticed you were new, uh, I guess, so, um, do you want to, like, I don’t know, maybe, um…” Louis was then rambling, and Harry was watching patiently, carefully, and ever-so-intently.

“Do I want to… hang out with you?” Harry tried to finish. Louis thought that sounded more appealing, and he could just worm his way out of the situation, but Louis knew it would come back to bite him. He really just wanted to go on a date with Harry. _Really badly_.

“Um, not exactly. Do you want to, like, go on a date?” Louis sounded like he was being choked, because he had to force the words from his throat.

The words hit the ground, hard, and Harry just pouted his lips a little bit. Louis didn’t exactly know what it meant, he just hoped Harry was at least _thinking_ about it.

“A date?” Harry’s voice was soft, but not like he was hurt. He was more curious.

“Yeah, I mean, if that’s alright…” Louis started to twist the flower again, and then remembered they were gifts for Harry. He opened his palm that held the few Hershey kisses and stuck the flower out to Harry.

“I… I got you a rose, and a few Hershey kisses. In case, like… _you want a kiss_.” Louis spat out the words he thought sounded fine in the car.

“Oh…” Harry looked at the gifts, and carefully took them from Louis’ hands. Harry’s fingertips grazed Louis’ palm, and Louis shivered at the touch.

“Are these… _cherry cordial_?” Harry asked intensely. His jaw was open, and his green eyes were wide. Louis nodding, biting on his bottom lip gently. He locked his hands behind his back and rocked on the balls of his feet.

“How did you know these were my favorite?” Harry questioned happily, setting all but one on his blanket. He carefully unwrapped the chocolate and popped it into his mouth, chewing with bright eyes.

“ _Because all cherry blankets and pretty boys need cherry kisses_.”

Harry and Louis locked eyes again, and Louis knew he had won Harry over. Harry’s eyes were sparkling and filled with all things happy, and Louis mustered a small smile, which caused Harry to return a cheeky, eye-squinting smile.

Louis never believed he would be going on a date with a boy, much less a girly boy, but he was definitely glad it would be with Harry.


End file.
